Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Taking Advantage of Delays

I was told yesterday that I would get the information I needed to start my new project this morning. It arrived just short of 3pm. Typical and not at all unexpected. So I took advantage of the delays to finish a few things in the yard. I told you I would still get outside a few hours even while working on projects.

First, I added 45 plugs of periwinkle to the front slope. Last February, I killed the grass on the driveway side as a test area. A few weeks later, I added more. Finally, I mowed it all down in July once I was sure it was well rooted. It's ugly right now, but I'll repeat the process several more times this year to force new growth. The first bloom appeared this weekend. I can't wait to see this hill covered in purple blossoms.

I also took a ride to the landfill. I had enough time to get a single load of leaf mulch for the hedge I'm planting at the end of the driveway. I also planted a few container plants I rooted last spring and summer. Four forsythias, two boxwood euonymous, and two mahonias now reside in the newly created bed. The euonymous and forsythia are about 4" tall. But they'll grow a lot this year if I water them well and fertilize often. I would have preferred to wait a year to plant this area, but the mulch is well composted. You should have seen the steam coming off of it when they loaded it. It smells really earthy.

This is one of the mahonias in the edge of the woods behind the house. I even found a 6' tall camellia in bloom today. I wonder how hard it is to dig up a camellia?

Here's another plant I found in the woods. I have no clue. It's got a tuber. I think it has a red flower on it in summer. The leaves are very sharp.

This pyracantha "Mohave" will be moved soon. I want to wait until it rains tomorrow. It's in a really dry location. Originally, I had planned to espalier this one across the chimney. I think it would be happier with less pruning in the new bed near the gully. I'm sure the birds will appreciate the effort. I've got 6 cuttings in the aerochamber downstairs. I've already decided where they'll go once they root.

The redbud tree near the hammock is still showing flower buds. Once they open, spring has arrived. These can be found all through the NC woods. You'll see Eastern Redbuds along most interstates where the native forests haven't been cut down. They are beautiful mixed in with dogwoods.

And finally, here's something only I really ever see. This is the view of the yard looking back towards the house. I had turned around from the mahonia I photographed and decided it would make a nice shot. I can't wait to get rid of the hoophouse for the summer. The entire edge of this area will eventually be planted with flowering or fragrant shrubs. I'll mix in some dogwoods, azaleas, and redbuds too.

Now, I need another cup of coffee. I do have a few hours of work to do this evening. I love making my own schedule.

3 comments:

My experience with camellias and their roots is that they have one or two big ol' thick roots running horizontally and few feeder roots. If you keep a big one well watered, it might make it. Smaller is better has been my experience, as well.